A Minute in Time
by IceEckos12
Summary: For Hoenheim she was a companion; for Tricia she was the daughter she never had; for the Elric brothers, she was just a faded memory, disappearing in the folds of time. This is her story. WARNING: Slight spoilers, OC.


"_I can give you power…don't you want it?" _

"_Who are you…? Or perhaps, more appropriate, what are you?"_

"_Clever girl…" _There was a low chuckle. _"You can just call me, 'Homunculus.'" _

* * *

><p>"<em>That light over there…it reminds me of..." <em>A slight pause. _"But no, that's impossible…" _

She frowned, wanting to look, but not going. There was no telling what would happen if she crossed the desert to Xerxes now.

Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew exactly what she'd find.

Death, and a figure who called himself, 'Homunculus'.

* * *

><p>"<em>Who are you…?" <em>

"_I'm a monster." _A curt reply, and yet so familiar to her.

"_Hey…me too. Let's be friends!" _

He blinked, a stunned expression planted on his face, mouth open slightly.

* * *

><p>"<em>Did you used to live in Xerxes?" <em>She smiled at him, trying to pull him out of the shell he'd been hiding in.

He gave her a look, but didn't answer. To be honest, she knew he was a little disconcerted by the fact she decided to go traveling with him, but the loneliness was beginning to eat away at her. If she didn't find someone soon…she'd go insane. And here was this person, this person who understood what she was going through and wouldn't ever leave her—she wasn't just going to give him up.

There was a long moment of silence, and she almost gave up on him answering before… _"Yes." _

She gave a delighted gasp. _"My name is Min! What's yours?" _

He frowned, as though uncertain whether or not to give away the information, before he reluctantly said, _"Van Hoenheim." _

* * *

><p>"<em>Van Hoenheim… can I call you…" <em>The last part came out as a mumble, and he gave her a short, piercing look.

"_Min…" _He said, almost threateningly. He learned a long time ago that his traveling companion often hid her true feelings from him, trying to stay on his good side. He knew that she was lonely, and she didn't want him to leave her, but sometimes this secrecy was just ridiculous. _"If you don't tell me, I'll be even angrier."_

She gave him a pleading look, already regretting saying anything, before blushing and looking away. _"C-Can I call you…father?" _

He stared at her with wide eyes, and resisted the urge to let out a laugh. _She finally worked up the courage to say something that she's wanted to tell me for almost two hundred years…_

So he smiled and said, _"Of course." _

* * *

><p>"<em>Dad…that woman across the street. Did you fall in love with her?" <em>

He jumped and stared at the girl he'd come to call his daughter, and blushed slightly. _Damn perceptive thing. _He thought, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. _Or perhaps it's because she's known me for so long…? _

"_You should go after her. You deserve to love her, and she seemed really nice."_

"…_I would, but…"_

"_You've lived across the street from her for two months and you don't even know her name?"_

Once again, he blushed.

"_Don't worry your little blonde head, because I know her name." _

To his dismay he reacted like a child, jerking his head and asking in a desperate tone, _"Who? What's her name?" _

"_You have to promise to ask her out if I do…okay, Dad?" _She asked, smirking at him.

He frowned at her, before sighing. _"Okay, okay. What's her name?" _

She gave him a serene smile, knowing that he truly loved this woman across the street even though he didn't know her very well. _"Tricia." _

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh, this is my adopted daughter, Min." <em>

"_She's so precious!" _

"_Thank you, Miss Tricia." _

"_So polite, too. How long have you two known each other?" _

"_For as long as I can remember." _She said, smiling at the beautiful woman. _What kind eyes…_ She thought, and winked at her father. _"You certainly scored a catch here, father. Take care of her." _

The couple blushed, but didn't protest.

* * *

><p>"<em>I do." <em>

She nearly cried when she heard it, though she hadn't shed any of the salty droplets in decades. Her father, her Hoenheim, married to the woman he loved…it was no less than he deserved.

After spending years and years with her father, she had thought that they would both be indifferent to these sorts of things in life—love, pain…and yet, she found herself yearning for them even more. Even he admitted it, and he was practically a social ice block.

As she watched the happy couple walk down the aisle, she was probably the person who cheered the loudest, and cried the most.

* * *

><p>It was hard to adjust to living with someone else in the house, at first.<p>

The intruder was kind, clean, neat, and thoughtful, and yet…it was the most annoying thing in the world.

The intruder—_Tricia—_was everything she wanted in a housemate, and yet there was something that kept reminding her that it was _Hoenheim's _Tricia.

Please, she wasn't jealous. Hoenheim had been in love before.

But who knew that the thoughtful, kind intruder was a _screamer? _

* * *

><p>"<em>Hoenheim, I'm pregnant." <em>

She knew it was probably not for her ears, but she heard it anyway, and spat out the coffee she had been slurping.

Well, from what she had heard every night she was surprised that the intruder—Tricia wasn't pregnant earlier, but it was still a shock when she heard it.

That led her to another thought. Could she even get pregnant?

Now that she thought about it, she never asked.

She was what, seventeen? Technically she had a seventeen year old body, but would the philosopher's stone hurt any baby that she could carry?

Her hand unconsciously fluttered to her stomach as she thought.

* * *

><p>"<em>You'll help me pick out stuff for the baby, right Min?" <em>The intruder asked.

_How dare you, you ridiculous screamer? Do you know how long you've kept me up at nights making that stupid child? _Her mental train halted for just a second._ Actually, ever since the baby they've stopped, so maybe this child is a good thing…_ _"How can I refuse?" _She said, and glanced at the six-month old bump poking out of the intruder's normally slim hips. _It's so very, very strange._

The intruder—Tricia—unconsciously patted her stomach, still smiling—and her smile morphed into an expression of surprise and happiness. _"Here, here!" _She squeaked, and grabbed her hand, pushing it onto her belly. _"Didn't you feel it? It just kicked!"_

She had to take a moment to recover from being dragged over, but had to restrain a small flicker of surprise when she felt it. _So this…is the miracle of life…what they talked about in the alchemy books…_ She thought, and nearly began to cry.

"_Let's go baby shopping…intru—mom!" _

* * *

><p>"<em>I think it's coming."<em>

She nearly spat out her coffee, again, as Tricia's panicked and yet calm voice floated in from the other room. _No, that's impossible, there's still two weeks! Dad's not even home! _

"_What? No, that's…why would you think that?" _Her voice, just as calm and panicked as her mother's carried to the other room easily, where Tricia let out a soft groan. Even as she asked the question she was walking over to her, helping her into a chair.

And suddenly she knew that Tricia was telling the truth, because disaster always strikes at the worst possible moment.

"_Well, suddenly the water, and…" _

She nodded, and knew that it was probably coming. After all, you didn't just live so long without knowing these things.

"_Um, okay. Here, let's get you to bed, and I'll run into town to get a doctor!" _

Tricia attempted to give her a reassuring smile, but only succeeded to give her a grimace as the contractions wrack her frame.

* * *

><p>"<em>How long has it been?" <em>

_Stupid, stupid doctor. _She thought, and glared at him from the corners of her eyes. _Idiot knows how far away the house is. _Instead, she opened her mouth to answer when rain suddenly began pelting her. She paused and turned her heated gaze to the sky, before she answered. _"Ten minutes here, twenty minutes back. Half hour." And I could've gotten here sooner if you hadn't been dragging me down. _

The stupid, stupid doctor nodded thoughtfully as they came around the last bend, and they spotted the house at the same time. She was very worried about her adopted mother now; she'd heard that some people could die from childbirth. If Tricia died, than Hoenheim…no, she didn't even want to think about what'd happen if the love of her father's life died.

She didn't even bother knocking as she swept into her house, the stupid, stupid doctor close in tow. _The house is unusually quiet,_ she thought cautiously, not liking the silence. Silence reminded her of a long time ago, when Hoenheim wasn't there and she was always alone. _But I'm not alone, I have the stupid, stupid doctor with me. _

She quickly rushed to Tricia's side and grabbed the her hand, smiling slightly when her eyes fluttered open, glazed over with something she couldn't quite name. _"Hi, Min…" _

"_Mom, I brought the doctor, okay? He's going to help you now." _Her voice came out as slightly panicked and worried.

Tricia turned her soulful smile on the doctor.

She nearly exploded when she saw it. Tricia should only smile at them, their family! Not some asshole doctor! _"Do your goddamn job!" _She shouted, earning surprised looks from the two of them, before the man nodded and got to work on her mother.

_I can only hope everything's going to be alright._

* * *

><p>She was sitting outside the room, head buried in her knees, listening to the shouts of pain coming from the room. Tears threatened to slip down her cheeks as she clenched her eyes tightly, trying escape from reality. <em>Please don't do this…<em> She inwardly begged, tightening her arms around her knees. _I don't want to be useless while Mom's suffering! _

She hated the feeling of being useless; of sitting by while someone was in pain, of forgetting something important in a test of mental skills.

She was a black belt in two different martial arts; she'd read every book in the old Xerxes archives; she could play two different instruments, and she'd home-schooled some girl name Izumi for two years; she'd gone to college and had four masters degrees (she'd actually been going for six, but she'd failed two of her classes); she spoke more than 5 languages, and yet she was still here, feeling and being _useless. _

Sure, she could help with the birth, but she still wouldn't be able to do _anything _to stop her mother's pain!

Or…could she?

That's right, she had tried to get a degree in medicine (That was one of the courses she'd failed—she found out that she was just a bit squeamish); she'd read somewhere about certain types of plants being used to literally _numb _the body, so it couldn't feel anything anymore…but would it affect the birth? Would something bad happen?

She was still useless at the moment, but now she had a purpose, and she clung to that purpose like a drowning man on a lifeline. Quickly rising to her feet and rushing into her and her father's office, she deftly skimmed the books with her finger and pulled out her old college medical books (god, that degree had been a _nightmare)_. _Balsam fir…peppermint…_She tapped her chin, looking down at the 'peppermint'. _Looks promising…Devil's claw…clove oil…_None of the others looked effective, so she marked the page with 'peppermint' and flipped a few pages. _Teas to induce labor…Wait a minute…raspberry leaf tea may speed up labor, relaxes the muscles…cottonroot helps difficult labors—is hers considered a difficult labor…?...Ah, here it is! Crampbark can be used to relieve cramping pains, scullup and catnip relieve pain, as well as calm and relax the body, and the raspberry tea again…do we have any of those on hand…? _

_Wait a minute…isn't the doc supposed to have painkillers on him?_

She slowly turned around and began walking towards the room—and quickened her pace when Tricia let out another high-pitched cry.

The reek of exhaustion and sweat filled the air when she opened the room, and frowned when the doctor looked at her helplessly while her mother clenched her eyes shut in pain.

"Can't you do _anything?" _She nearly begged. "Don't you have painkillers or something?"

"No, she…she said she didn't want any modern medicine. She said she wanted a natural birth." The doctor glanced back at Tricia as she let out a soft moan.

_Stupid, brave, valiant Tricia…_"Well, I have just the thing." She grinned widely, suddenly feeling happy all over.

He was dubious. "What do you mean?"

"See, I went to college and I took a course of medicine, and I was just looking through some herbs that should help…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hoenheim<strong>_

When Hoenheim arrived home, he knew something was wrong.

He dropped his briefcase and darted into the house, looking around for his meek little daughter and his welcoming eight-month pregnant wife. Instead, he was greeted by a dead silence and the faint smell of _blood. _

"_No…" _He breathed, and first looked into the study. His heart sank when he saw papers scattered around the room; _someone was after his research. _As though he was walking in slow motion, he shut the door and continued to the next room; the kitchen. It, too, was empty; however it bore signs of having been used recently, and there was the strong scent of fresh-cooked meat hanging in the air. He backed away, and quietly walked to the first bedroom; immediately the smell of blood got stronger, and he nearly choked on the stench.

Van Hoenheim stopped in front of that door, staring at the knob. What would he find in there? His wife's dead body? Min, passed out on the floor?

He certainly wasn't expecting to catch sight of his wife, slim and propped up in bed, beaming down at something her arms as Min slept on the chair next to her, an empty cup on the desk next to her.

Though Tricia looked exhausted, she still glowed that beautiful, healthy glow, and perked up when Hoenheim opened the door. As he stood in the doorway, stunned beyond belief, she reached out and shook Min's knee, letting out a soft chuckle when her adopted daughter let out a long, sleepy snort.

"Is that…?" Hoenheim finally found his voice.

"Yes, it is. Come here, darling." Tricia said, reaching out a hand for her husband, who walked towards her almost as though he was in a trance. "Come see our son."

_That _pulled him out of his trance. "I have…a son." He said slowly, stopping short.

Tricia smiled, and seemed to understand. "He's beautiful. He looks just like you. Why don't you come and see?"

"I have a son." He whispered, rolling the words around on his tongue. "I have a _son!" _

And then he caught sight of that little miracle, the little miracle that'd eluded the greatest alchemic minds of their day, the little gold-eyed blonde miracle that was sleeping peacefully, tiny fists curled around the edges of his blanket, and as Van Hoenheim picked up his child, he did something he hadn't done for years.

He let one lone tear slip down his cheek.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Min<strong>_

She left one year after the second one was born.

As she packed her stuff, she could feel her mom's eyes boring into her back, and pushed away the guilt beginning to pull at her. If she could do what she wanted to do, she'd be able to stay with them until she died _naturally_, not outlasting them all, including Hoenheim; after all, he was the type of person to throw around his alchemy like it was dust, which meant that his stone was running out, and she couldn't bear that. She wanted—no, _needed _to stay with these people, and the only way she could do it was by _searching, _and not just sitting here.

The next time that she came back, she would be human. She _swore _it to herself.

"At least stay for the picture." Her mother spoke finally, petting the top of Alphonse's fluffy head.

She looked up, lips twisted into a guilty grimace. "It's the least I can do."

When she positioned herself for the picture, she found herself with a lap of Alphonse, and he looked up at her with wide, trusting eyes. Surprised, she blinked to him, before slowly raising up her hand and pointing towards the camera-man, who had just finished setting up the machine. "Look over there, Alphonse." The wide, trusting eyes turned to face the front, and were temporarily blinded by a white flash.

"Take one without me." She said, placing Alphonse in her mother's arms and stepping away. "I don't want them to know me, the coward that I am."

Tricia sighed, but complied.

As she watched the second picture, she noticed something strange about her father.

Ed, the perfect picture of happiness, beamed widely at the camera, but her father was the exact opposite; tears trickled down his face, and his mouth was turned upside-down.

Why?

Later, just before she left, Tricia grabbed one of the pictures and put it in her her top pocket, while Edward toddled on the floor next to her, looking obliviously at nothing.

She nodded, smiling quietly, before bending down and placing both hands on Ed's shoulders.

"Edward…I want you to do something for me. Can you promise?"

He nodded happily, not quite understanding the weight of what was about to be said.

"Make me promise to come back. Please, Ed. Make me _promise._"

He stared at her with wide eyes, turning the words over in his mind and trying to get the exact meaning out of them, and in a sudden show of genius he gave her a serious look and said quietly, "Pwomise?"

_He'll be a genius like his father. _She thought proudly, before pulling the picture and a pen from her pocket. "Here, we'll both sign. Then, I can't break my promise. Okay?"

Edward smiled and nodded, before grabbing the pen from her fingers and scribbling out something unintelligible. She gently took the pen back, and signed it herself, and quickly wrote a note in the corner, before tucking the pen and the picture back in her pocket.

Then she kissed his forehead, wrapped her arms around her mother and her little brother, and walked out the door.

"_I promise to come back." _

* * *

><p>The most alchemy she ever used was when she figured out her biggest lead was a dead end.<p>

It started with a few words, and ended in an explosion that nearly destroyed half the city.

* * *

><p>Eight years.<p>

Would they still be there?

She shook her head, and grimaced when her hair slapped her face. There was no time for thoughts like this now; she'd promised, and she _would _come back to them, even if it meant going to the other end of the earth.

Her eyes looked at the house on the horizon, taking in its familiar features; almost nothing had changed, which was somewhat comforting, though her rhododendrons were looking a little worse for wear. _And _there was a tire swing hanging from the tree outside, something that made her smile. Either someone else had moved in, or there were two boys who used that tire swing.

And suddenly, _intuition _kicked in.

They say that a woman's intuition is infallible, and it had never failed her before, so she tore down the road towards the house, panic rising like bile in her throat. _Something awful is going to happen_, She thought, ripping open the door and dropping her bag on the ground, just as Hoenheim had done all those years ago when Edward had been born. _My baby brothers! _

For some reason, the thought that Tricia or Hoenheim was in trouble never occurred to her.

As she ran through that house, a small slip of worn and crinkled paper slipped out from her pocket and onto the ground; an old picture, with the picture of a smiling family on the front, and the note, _"I promise to return!" _in one corner, with two scribbled signatures in the center.

When she opened the door to her office, she covered her face in an attempt to block the light coming towards her. _This is no natural light, _she thought, panicked. _What are they doing? _

And then she saw.

And then she realized.

And then she acted.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Alphonse<strong>_

The boys hadn't noticed her because of their strong wonder, and they didn't notice her when she placed her hands on the circle. All they saw was the energy crackling around them, the feeling of the _power _and _vitality _driving deep into their bones.

And that was still all they saw when the energy turned a different color, a malevolent red and black that frightened them terribly.

At first nothing happened, but then Edward let out a cry, making Alphonse whip around to face his brother, and staring in horror as his left leg began to _disappear._

"Brother!" He shouted, reaching a hand out towards him, only for his consciousness to fade into black…

He blinked awake, and stared in shock at where he was.

White was all around, white was below, above, white was—

"Well hello, mister al-che-mist."

He turned around to face whoever had spoken, opening his mouth to respond, but was stunned to silence by the strange person's appearance.

"W-Who are you?"

"I could have such _fun _with you, mister al-che-mist. You're lucky you have someone to vouch for your soul."

"What?" He replied dumbly, and stared in surprise as a strange girl began materializing beside the figure. She was vaguely familiar, a faint memory of laughter and the sweet smell of flowers and rain…

"Min!" He shouted, and was rewarded with a small smile as she waved.

"Hey, little brother. Looks like you're in a spot of trouble." Then she quietly backed closer to the Gate, not even flinching when it opened behind her. Alphonse could practically _feel _the malice and ancient knowledge rolling out of that Gate; there was something in there that was very old, very wise, and very, _very _powerful.

"You won't remember this meeting when you wake up." The strange person sang, drawing Alphonse's attention—and suddenly, tons of tiny black hands began _grabbing _his older sister, and he could only stare in horror as Min was pulled into the black vortex.

"No! Min!" Alphonse tried to get himself to move, but found himself rooted to the spot. "What did you do to me?" He growled, desperately trying to free himself of whatever that _thing _had done to him. "Who are you?"

"I didn't do anything." The thing giggled, and suddenly Alphonse found himself falling again…

"I'm just the _Truth." _

When Alphonse ran clumsily to the Rockbell's, Ed firmly clamped in his arms, he couldn't help but feel he'd forgotten something very important.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mustang<strong>_

When Roy Mustang entered the house, he was immediately greeted by the stench of blood.

As he walked down the hall, he noticed a piece of paper on the ground; more specifically, a picture. When he flipped it over, he was greeted by the sight of five faces; two girls and three boys. Two of the boys were quite young; they looked perhaps a year apart, the oldest not quite three years old. The oldest man and woman were obviously married, if their children were anything to go by; however, the final girl was an enigma. She was obviously related to none of them, her skin olive instead of pale, eyes purple, hair the color of melted chocolate—she was pretty, but not beautiful; she had a face that made you look twice.

As he continued down the hall, he pushed the picture into his pocket, deciding to ask about it later. Right now, though, he needed to find the ever elusive Elric brothers.

And when he entered the office, he, for just a moment, wished that he never had gotten involved.

There was a transmutation circle on the floor, but it wasn't just any transmutation circle; it was a _human _transmutation circle, and an incredibly refined one at that. In fact, he'd go as far as to say a _genius _had created it; it was perfect, completely infallible.

It had failed, though, _obviously. _Otherwise there wouldn't be a giant bloodstain in the center.

As he took it in in horror, he opened his mouth to talk to the man standing behind him. "Where are the Elric brothers?"

As the man stammered out an answer, he suddenly noticed a pile of clothes on the edge of the circle, and bent down to pick them up. They obviously belonged to a girl, and judging by the style, a teenager. When he rummaged through the pockets, his fingers contacted with a small envelope, and he withdrew it curiously. On the cover was a messy label, and though it was almost unintelligible, he managed to discern the word, _"Pictures". _

When he opened the envelope, he immediately knew who the clothes belonged too; it was that strange girl in the picture, the one with purple eyes. There were many pictures; some so old he couldn't really make out the details, and some very new, like the one with the girl holding up a tankard of some sort of alcohol, surrounded by many others with similar glasses.

He took a glance back at the picture of the family, and almost reverently placed the photo back where it belonged in the envelope.

When he showed the boys the photo, they'd simply shrugged (though there might have been a flicker of recognition in Edward's eyes). And when he'd commented on the girls clothes next to the transmutation circle, they'd been just as clueless.

Roy had simply shrugged off the girl, thinking that she was unimportant. He had to concentrate on the living, and he had no time to spend looking for some enigma from the Elric's past.

How wrong he was…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Min<strong>_

She looked up at his gold eyes and smiled.

"Hey, dad. Took you long enough."

He looked between her and the Truth, and back to her.

"What did you do this time?" He sighed and took off his long coat, throwing it around her bare shoulders. She gratefully took the first fabric she'd felt in years, and rubbed her cheek against it. "Mmmm…Ed and Al tried to bring Mom back, but I knew that the backlash would be pretty bad so I took the brunt of it."

Hoenheim sighed again, and waved quietly to the Truth, who nodded back. "Min, do you know how long it took me to track you down?"

Uh-oh. Not _that _tone. "Um…" She fumbled for the answer, trying to think; it was a few years, wasn't it? "A few years?" She supplied meekly, carefully watching her father's expression.

"_Six _years, Min _six!" _He shook his head.

"Oops."

"Yes, Min, _oops _is correct."

She looked away guiltily, and Hoenheim felt his anger softening. "Alphonse remembers what happened, you know." He murmured, and she looked up at him hopefully.

"Really? Wonderful!" She breathed, curling her fingers around her father's shirt, a sign that she was yearning for comfort.

"We defeated father." Hoenheim continued, smiling slightly when her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I knew you could do it eventually! I only wish I could've been there." She pouted, earning a rough chuckle from him.

"This will be my last act as a person of this world."

She stopped dead still just inches from the exit, face a mask of horror. _"No." _

He tried to look away as she grasped his face and forced it towards hers, eyes burning with fury and something he couldn't quite put a name to—fear?

"Dad, you can't leave me!" Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she tried to make him understand. "Do you know what it's like? Being alone for so many years? I can't do that again!"

He looked disconcerted and shifted nervously, trying to soften the gaze of his only daughter. "What about Edward and Alphonse?" He asked finally, trying to play on her, 'overprotective big sister' side, which obviously wouldn't work. If she'd truly had a 'big sister' side, she would never have left the family, and in turn this would never have occurred.

Sometimes they were both idiots.

"They're young, dad, but they're not immortal. You used your alchemy all the time, while I didn't; I could last for another hundred years or so." Then her eyes visibly brightened (Hoenheim was still at a loss as to how she did it—perhaps alchemy?), and she smiled widely. "Why don't I give you some of my stone?"

Hoenheim gave her a soft smile and pressed his forehead to hers. "I've lived long enough, Min. I've made enemies of my family; I practically killed my love. Stay and watch over your little brothers for me, okay? Be the big sister you never were. Can you do that?"

The tears that had threatened to fall finally began to trickle down her face, and she let out a soft sob, letting go of his face and wrapping her arms around his neck, finding comfort in her long-time companion and father—how could she _ever _give this up? _"I've lived longer." _

He bit his lip and looked away, and slowly lifted his stiff arms and pulled her closer into a hug, his stoic face unusually blank in an obvious attempt to conceal his emotions.

Then Hoenheim, lover of Tricia, father of Edward, Alphonse and Min, Philosopher's stone, carefully picked up his daughter, and carried her out of the Gate as he said his final goodbye.

* * *

><p>"Hello." She said awkwardly, shifting under her father's thick coat, suddenly <em>very <em>aware of how naked she was—which in turn, made her grip her fingers tighter around the fabric.

Edward looked just as awkward if not more so than her, shifting on his feet and giving Alphonse a pleading glance every few seconds. _He _wasn't used to dealing with this sort of thing; that's what he had Alphonse, the ever approachable one, for. He especially wasn't used to dealing with older sisters whom he'd forgotten about, and had even sacrificed herself for them; situations like this were best left to sort themselves out—he didn't just go about _confronting _stuff like this.

And yet, here he was, confronting an awkward situation.

She nibbled her lip, trying to figure out something to break the tension that'd descended over the trio. This was something she'd been looking forward to for years; seeing her little brothers again. In her head she'd gone over the situation many times: _the brother's not believing her and leaving, the brothers running to hug her, the brothers being angry with her for leaving, the brothers…_and so on and so forth. Yet she'd never imagined something as awkward as _this. _

"So you're...our older sister?" Alphonse supplied meekly.

"Uh—yes, um, I have proof!" She fumbled with her jacket, trying to find the envelope Hoenheim had _said _he'd stuck in the top pocket, with all her precious pictures in it. After a moment of frantic digging, she retrieved the still pristine-white paper, smiling in triumph. _Dad said he'd gotten it back from Roy Mustang. _She thought, fingering her smooth writing. It was so comforting to have it on her again; it held all her precious memories.

Reverently flicking the flap open and delicately poking through her pictures, she smiled when her eyes landed on the one she wanted.

She withdrew the picture and shoved it in their faces, watching them with satisfaction as they stared.

Basically it was a variation of the one with just Ed, Al, Tricia and Hoenheim, with one difference, and yet that difference was huge. Sitting in between Tricia and Hoenheim was a young girl of about seventeen, carrying Alphonse with thin, firm hands, staring at the camera with a small smile planted on her face.

"Are you a Philosopher's stone too?" Edward blurted out, causing Alphonse to slap his brother's shoulder.

"Tact!" He nearly shouted, while his brother shook him off.

"I always knew you'd turn out to be a genius, just like your father." She smiled softly, not flinching when Edward's face tightened at the mention of Hoenheim. "Yes, I am. I'm older than your father, actually." She smiled, watching as her baby brothers faces melted into shock. "I'm not quite sure where I came from—it was a very little town that was mainly focused on alchemic studies. There used to be a ghost that lived there; a nightmare that would hide in your dreams and stalk your footsteps. One day I met the enigma, and now I sincerely wish I hadn't." Her past was something that wasn't to be toyed with; even now, she wished that she could sink into the ground. "He talked to me, and told me great and wonderful things I could do, if only I restored his body. I was, of course, the most intelligent person while still retaining my childish impulses, and trusted him without hesitation, a stupid mistake. I set up a transmutation circle, and though it wasn't that hard to do since the town was so small, it still took time. I was fifteen when I first met him, and by the time I'd finished I was seventeen years old." She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath, mentally preparing for what was to come. "I performed the transmutation, and succeeded in recreating the Homunculus's essence, which was sealed in a bottle I'd prepared earlier." Her face, during that part of the story, had been perfectly schooled, just like her father's had been when he'd said goodbye. "The thing about that transmutation was that while the town was smaller than Xerxes, there were more people packed into it, and the circle had a small, unique alteration that made it effect even animals. So basically me'n dad have—had the same sized Philosopher's stone."

Edward and Alphonse stared at her, slowly sifting over the information given to them. While she waited for them to speak, she mulled over her own thoughts. What could she possibly do now that her father was dead? She wasn't going to go searching for the cure to her immortality—her brother's would probably do something stupid again. Staying with them sounded like an excellent plan, but would they even accept her after the treachery she'd caused-?

And suddenly warm arms encircled her neck, catching her off guard as her little brothers hugged her tightly.

"I don't care what the hell you did." Edward muttered, burying his head in her shoulder. "You're our big sister, and you promised to come back. And here you are. That's good enough for me."

For the last time in a long time, Min's eyes filled with tears.

* * *

><p><em>Epilogue<em>

"Hey, Ed. Hey Al. Morning mom. Dad, you've got stains on your shirt." She carefully wiped away the dirt on his gravestone.

"So…listen. I completed my bucket list. You know, the one Mom and Dad completed before I left? I added all the new ones, little bros. Some of them were really fun. Mom, I remember you nearly had a cat when I died my hair orange." A soft smile. "You did always say you liked my hair best, besides my eyes."

There was a long moment of silence, where she slowly placed the flowers on all four gravestones.

"See, mom, I remembered that you liked alchemic flowers best." She tapped her head to emphasize her point. "I hope the rest of you don't mind."

There was another long moment of silence, where she nibbled her lip and looked over at Mei and Winry's grave.

"Did you guys know that mom was a screamer? I'll bet you didn't. Used to keep me up all night—except on Tuesdays. Do you know how weird that is? It was just Sunday's and Tuesdays—really quieted down after you and Alphonse were born, though." She chuckled nostalgically.

"So, listen. I'm going to come and visit you really, _really _soon, so…you know…" She shut her eyes, trembling slightly as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Be prepared and stuff, 'cause you're lives are going to get so much harder after this."

Then, Min, the girl who'd lived for more than five-hundred years, the girl who'd loved, laughed and cried, the girl who'd completed her bucket list, the enigma—died.

**...AHHHHHHHHHH!**

**This story is different from any other fanfiction I've written. **

**I've never written Fullmetal Alchemist (though it is awesome). **

**I've never created an OC as the main character to a story. **

**And this is way wierder than anything I've ever composed. **

**So I'm just a _teensy _bit nervous about this one. **

**Anyway, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, Father used Min to get himself inside the botte (and after that Hoenheim finished the job). See, Father used all the stone he got to give himself a form, and Min got the rest of the stone and escaped with it, basically. I tried to make her _not _a Mary Sue, though I don't really know how that worked out, seeing as I don't usually write OCs...**

**Did I mention that while I'm not above AU, I don't usually write about that either? **

**If somethings bad about this, tell me. **

**And, um, thanks for reading. **

**IceEckos12**

**This is so, _so _out of character for me. **


End file.
